Wisdom Tooth Surgery

Wisdom Tooth Removal

Wisdom tooth removal is something few of us are able to avoid our entire life. While it’s true that many are able to keep their wisdom teeth, or 3rd molars, most of us encounter reasons during our lifetime to remove them. These reasons can include overcrowding, impacted wisdom teeth, misaligned wisdom teeth, or simple issues such as inability to keep plaque and tartar from building up around the rear molars. Depending on the severity of the situation, the cost for wisdom tooth removal, and the need for a specialist in oral surgery also varies.

Impacted Wisdom ToothWhen a wisdom tooth is unable to fully erupt into the proper position, it’s referred to as “impacted”. If the situation is not addressed, pain and inflammation can develop causing great discomfort to the patient. Additionally, if the wisdom tooth is not removed, it can cause damage to the second molar, and result in the loss of a valuable tooth. In cases where there is concern that the roots of the wisdom tooth may be in close proximity with the alveolar nerve, it may be a wise course of action to take a 3-Dimensional xray of the area to ensure that nerve damage is avoided during the surgery.

Position Relative to Alveolar NerveWith the assistance of 3D imaging we can check the position of the wisdom tooth relative to the alveolar nerve, and thus conduct a safe extraction surgery where you will avoid damage to this nerve. Certainly the cost to verify the safety of this procedure with a proper xray pales in comparison to the cost of ignoring the risks. When the dentist is not completely sure of the position relative to the nerve, it’s critical that this x-ray be taken, and of course that the surgery be performed by an experienced oral surgeon.

We have both the properly trained specialists in surgery, as well as the equipment to take high quality 3 dimensional images to aid in your safety and recovery. Read more about 3 dimensional xrays.

Infected Area Around Wisdom ToothThe images shown are from a case where the very common “that wisdom tooth has never bothered me before” scenario played itself out in a serious way. While it’s true that many of us can go through life without ever having to remove a wisdom tooth, it’s still important to be mindful of their presence. This wisdom tooth created a very large, out of control abscess that resulted in considerable bone loss. The surgery was a complex one, but was completed efficiently without breakage of jaw or loss of feeling.

This situation could be avoided by making sure regular dental exams are being done, along with a periodic panoramic xray if you know you have a risk of a wisdom tooth going rougue.

Wisdom Tooth Extraction PricingThe fee charged for the wisdom tooth extraction can often be predicted with precision, however, please be mindful that there are cases where an extraction may appear to be of the less complex variety, and still end up being complex because of factors that arise during the surgery.